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A man walks past a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a space rocket, at the main railway station in Seoul in August.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2023

North Korea says it could launch satellite as early as Wednesday

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office said it had "strongly demanded" that North Korea halt preparations for the launch.
New Zealand's Richie Mo'unga in action against Argentina in the semifinals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 20
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Nov 21, 2023

Mo'unga ready to forget All Blacks after Japan switch

Mo'unga has moved to Toshiba Brave Lupus on a three-year deal, meaning he cannot play for the All Blacks during that time unless eligibility rules change.
A North Korean rocket carrying a military spy satellite is launched in this undated photo released Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 22, 2023

North Korea calls spy satellite launch a success, but questions linger

A rocket carrying the payload passed over the Japanese archipelago late Tuesday, but Tokyo said it had not confirmed the veracity of Pyongyang's claims.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, visits the southern border in Edinburg, Texas, on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2023

Can Japan risk a Trump reelection?

A fundamental risk accompanying Donald Trump’s reelection is the doubts it would raise about American leadership in the world.
A Komeito delegation, including party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi, is visiting Beijing in a bid to improve China-Japan ties.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

Komeito delegation visits China to bolster frayed ties

A group led by Natsuo Yamaguchi has met with Cai Qi, head of the powerful Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Self-driving vehicles featuring Level 4 capabilities, which means they can handle all driving tasks, in Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture, in August
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2023

Japan to start discussions on driverless transportation next month

The services are expected to be utilized in areas where declining populations and driver shortages are becoming a serious problem.
Protests in Shinjuku, Tokyo, last November, echoed demonstrations in several major Chinese cities that called for an end to Chinese President Xi Jinping's draconian “zero-COVID” policy.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 28, 2023

Chinese intellectuals increasingly attracted to Tokyo

An increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. following the COVID-19 pandemic has driven some graduates to Japan.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masahiko Shibayama discusses a bill during a Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee session in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Japan's parliament debates relief for Unification Church victims

The two separate bills being discussed are in part aimed at safeguarding and preventing the transfer of the church’s assets.
Workers prepare to cull chickens at a farm in Kashima, Saga Prefecture, on Saturday after a case of bird flu was detected there.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 25, 2023

Japan confirms season's first bird flu case in Saga

The Saga Prefectural Government has started to cull around 40,000 chickens raised at a farm in the city of Kashima.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa shakes hands with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during bilateral talks in Busan, South Korea, on Saturday evening.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2023

Japanese and Chinese top envoys eye more talks on Fukushima row

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday in Busan, South Korea, ahead of a trilateral summit.
Yoko Kamikawa
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2023

Kamikawa conveys ‘comfort women’ stance to South Korean envoy

Kamikawa urged Seoul to "immediately take appropriate measures" to rectify the situation.
A hydrogen storage tank and loading system at a liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal in Kobe
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 27, 2023

U.K. concerned about Japan’s co-firing plans to curb emissions

The move 'prolongs the life of coal plants and leads to emissions,' said the head of climate change and energy at the British Embassy in Tokyo.
The best season for Australian mangoes is from November to February, different from that of rival producers in the opposite hemisphere.
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2023

Australia keen to boost mango exports to Japan after curbs eased

The Australian mango season is different to that of rival producers in the opposite hemisphere.
Akina Shu has visited around 50 countries as a speaker and ambassador on the digital nomad lifestyle since 2020.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2023

Japan is enticing for digital nomads, but visa hurdles remain

While the country does not offer a digital nomad visa, the government is working on introducing one sometime in 2024.
A bed bug in Paris in September
JAPAN / Society
Nov 27, 2023

Bedbugs are spreading in South Korea and China. Is Japan next?

Experts caution that it may only be a matter of time, given the number of travelers now arriving in the country.
Customers look at products on display outside a drug store in Tokyo on Friday. As part of a trial, 145 stores nationwide will be allowed to sell morning-after pills until the end of March.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 27, 2023

Japan to start trial of over-the-counter sales of morning-after pills

The health ministry will allow 145 stores nationwide to sell morning-after pills until the end of March.
A pipeline transporting seawater is part of the facility for releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 27, 2023

Japan’s wastewater release could bring the region together

The release of treated radioactive water from Fukushima No. 1 could be a springboard for more transparency around nuclear energy in Japan and all of Asia.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers questions during an Upper House budget committee meeting on Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2023

Japan discloses extra ¥84 billion needed for Osaka Expo

Ministers told a parliamentary meeting that the government would need to pay more, partly to build the Japan pavilion at the expo venue.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane poses in his new Suntory Sungoliath uniform at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Nov 28, 2023

All Blacks captain Cane looks 'to evolve' game during Japan stint

Cane is one of several All Blacks moving to Japan for the new domestic season, which kicks off on Dec. 9.
Hiromichi Kikuchi was sentenced to eight months in prison on Tuesday for mediating organ transplants overseas without government approval.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 28, 2023

Japan NPO head sentenced for unauthorized organ transplants overseas

The Tokyo District Court handed an eight-month prison sentence to the executive for mediating organ transplants in Belarus without government approval.
Yoko Huijs-Watanuki poses in the city of Fukuoka during a visit to Japan in October.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Dec 4, 2023

Oita woman helps Japanese Dutch, born in WWII, trace their roots

During the Pacific War the Japanese military occupied the Dutch East Indies, after taking the land from Dutch forces in 1942.
With COP28 taking place during a year set to be the hottest on record, the need for more progress has never been greater.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 29, 2023

Japan's relationship with coal likely to be in focus at COP28

With the climate talks taking place during a year set to be the hottest on record, the need for more progress has never been greater.
Construction is underway at the venue for the 2025 Osaka Expo on Yumeshima, a man-made island, in the city of Osaka on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 29, 2023

Russia becomes latest country to pull out of Osaka Expo

The announcement is more bad news for the troubled event, which already faces pavilion construction delays, skyrocketing costs and little public support.
Akihiko Tanaka (center) attends a meeting on the foreign technical trainee and skilled workers program at the Justice Ministry on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 30, 2023

Panel submits final report on Japan's foreign trainee program

After roughly a year of meetings, the cumulative report contains recommendations on a newly designed policy.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (third from right) and Digital Minister Taro Kono (second from right) attend a meeting with experts to discuss measures to implement administrative reforms through digitalization, held on Oct. 3 at the Digital Agency in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2023

Japan falls out of top 10 in digital government rankings

The result reflects a series of problems with the country's My Number social security and tax identification cards.
Tigers manager Akinobu Okada speaks during a news conference in Tokyo after the buzzword of the year was announced on Friday. The team's slogan, an indirect reference to victory, took the top spot.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2023

Japan’s 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning

A.R.E — based on the Japanese word “are” (“that”) — took the top spot, after the Hanshin Tigers popularized the term as an indirect reference to victory.
New Zealand's Ardie Savea (right) in action with South Africa's Jean Kleyn at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 28
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 1, 2023

All Black Savea eager to test himself with Japan move

The All Blacks loose forward has signed for Kobe Steelers on a one-season deal that means he will not miss any games for his country.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares to speak at a COP28 session in Dubai on Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2023

Japan pledges to end construction of new unabated coal plants

The pledge comes after some nations called on attendees at COP28 to agree to immediately end new unabated coal-fired power generation.
Areas highlighted in yellow indicate regions covered by the tsunami advisory.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2023

Strong quake near Philippines triggers tsunami advisory in Japan

A tsunami advisory for Japan's coast from Miyakojima to Chiba Prefecture was issued following a strong quake near the Philippines.
Areas highlighted in blue indicate regions where tsunami was forecast.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 3, 2023

Japan lifts tsunami warning after strong quake jolts Philippines

A powerful earthquake struck the southern Philippines late Saturday, followed by four major aftershocks that sent residents fleeing from coastal areas.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?